Balancing Resources

Do you remember your parents saying; “Turn out the lights when you leave the room”? Now the power companies say use CFC’s to save electricity. Hybrid and electric cars are supposedly reducing energy use and pollution. Where does that energy come from? A lot of it comes from coal.

Some of it comes from Nuclear and Hydro. It has been said that it requires more water to turn the light on in the bathroom than it does to take a shower. Maybe we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. How can the economy, available resources and protecting the environment work together?

They probably can’t. Oil, Electricity & Gas have largely replaced coal and wood in much of the world as a home heat source. Are we really better off? What about the damages caused in the acquisition of these resources? We build modern cars that run on ethanol or electricity, using up our food and water. Where is the trade-off? The only real answer is to go nowhere, eat cold food and stay home in the dark with the television off.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/